Plant board OKs rule allowing licensing for grain dealersLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas Plant Board has approved an emergency rule allowing the licensing of grain dealers in the state. The emergency rule establishes the licensing, bonding and auditing framework required under a state law for people and companies who buy and sell grain. The law was passed in March by the Legislature in response to the failure of Turner Grain Merchandising Inc. of Brinkley. Its collapse cost farmers tens of millions ...

Arkansas Supreme Court returns juvenile case to lower courtLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A circuit court must reconsider the joint case of two inmates serving mandatory life terms in prison without parole for crimes they committed as juveniles, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled Thursday. In separate 5-2 majority rulings, the high court said the First Judicial Circuit Court improperly ordered resentencing last year for Aaron Hodge and James Grubbs before addressing probable cause by holding a hearing to determine ...

Entergy says grid manager savings exceed projectionsJACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Entergy Corp. estimates its electrical customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas saved more than $250 million during the first year of Entergy's membership in a regional grid manager. Customer savings are building more quickly than Entergy estimated before joining the Indiana-based Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator in late 2013. Entergy had estimated $1.4 billion in customer savings over ...

Conway college president moves out of school-owned homeLITTLE ROCK (AP) — University of Central Arkansas President Tom Courtway has moved out of the president's home and into a private residence. He and his wife moved earlier this month to a home in Conway that Courtway said offers them more privacy. The couple had lived in the president's home since March 2012. The university-owned home was a sore point for a former president of the school, who resigned under pressure over a house-renovation deal...

Alliance names endangered historical sites in stateLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas has identified several historical locations in Arkansas that it says are endangered. The alliance announced its findings Thursday in Little Rock. On the list are the Bondi Brothers Building in Clarendon; Brittnum Rooming House in Little Rock: the Downtown Pine Bluff Commercial Historic District; Hotel Pines in Pine Bluff; the Masonic Temple in Pine Bluff; and First Presbyterian ...

Wal-Mart to test unlimited shipping service for $50 per yearNEW YORK (AP) — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will test a new unlimited shipping service for online shoppers this summer that will be priced below Amazon's widely popular $99 per year Prime service. Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the shipping subscription service will cost customers $50 a year. Products will arrive in three days or less. Ravi Jariwali, a Wal-Mart spokesman, says the service will be a...

Panel reviews rules on fetal heartbeat notificationLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A requirement for Arkansas doctors to test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed has cleared an administrative hurdle. The Arkansas Legislative Council subcommittee on Wednesday reviewed rules created by the Arkansas State Medical Board under a 2013 act. It also included a ban on most abortions after 12 weeks into a woman's pregnancy. That ban was overturned by a federal district court and an appeal is being ...

Town's vote opens fight over law cast as anti-gayEUREKA SPRINGS (AP) — A northwest Arkansas town's vote to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity could pave the way for a legal fight over a new state law criticized as anti-gay. Residents in Eureka Springs, a town known both for its 66-foot-tall Jesus statue and for being a gay-friendly tourist destination, voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to uphold the anti-discrimination ordinance. It's the most direct challenge to a ...

Whirlpool: Deal reached with almost 50 residentsFORT SMITH (AP) — A Whirlpool Corp. official says 49 residents have accepted a settlement offer following the discovery of a hazardous chemical in groundwater beneath their northwest Arkansas homes. A company official told Fort Smith city directors Tuesday that residents have or will be paid the amount by which a county assessor reduced their property values. The home appliance manufacturer also will pay an additional 33 percent of that reduce...

Hoxie mulls pit bull ban after recent dog attacksHOXIE (AP) — A northeast Arkansas city is weighing a ban on pit bulls to the ire of some residents who say they'll move before they get rid of their pets. The Jonesboro Sun reported Hoxie Mayor Lanny Tinker said at the City Council meeting on Tuesday that a series of recent dog attacks in the area compelled him to seek the ban. City officials plan to model their proposed ordinance after a similar ban in North Little Rock. Current pit bull owne...

Panel votes to raise prosecutors' salariesLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A state committee has voted to give Arkansas' full-time prosecutors a 23 percent pay raise. The Independent Citizens Commission on Wednesday gave final approval to its plan raise salaries for the state's 25 full-time prosecutors from $123,162 a year to $152,000. The commission also has called for raising pay for three prosecutors who are allowed to also work in private practice from $103,058 year to $129,200. No one spoke fo...

Fort Smith airport to receive almost $600K in federal moneyFORT SMITH (AP) — Members of Arkansas' congressional delegation have announced the Fort Smith Regional Airport will receive almost $592,000 in grant money from the Federal Aviation Administration. According to a Tuesday press release, the grant will be used to purchase a new aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle and four fire protection suits to help the airport meet safety requirements. The grants were announced by U.S. Sens. John Boozman ...

Little Rock police dog bites officer pursuing shoplifterLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Little Rock police say an officer accidentally fired his gun when a police dog attacked him while chasing a purported shoplifter. According to spokeswoman Sgt. Cassandra Davis, police were following someone suspected of shoplifting Tuesday at a Home Depot when police released a dog to help in the chase. The police dog was circling vehicles that the suspect had been hiding between before the person tried to climb a tree. Davi...

Armed standoff with police in Sheridan ends with arrestSHERIDAN (AP) — A man who shot at police during a standoff in a neighborhood near Sheridan is in custody. Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler stated Donald Thomas, 47, of the Clearwater Lake area was arrested about 5 p.m. Tuesday after a state police SWAT team fired tear gas into a building where Thomas had barricaded himself inside. No injuries are reported. Sadler said the Grant County Sheriff's Office reported that Thomas called aut...

Special session renews push for earlier primaryLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A special legislative session planned later this month is raising hopes among some Arkansas Republican lawmakers that they'll get another chance to move up the state's presidential primary as part of a southeastern regional nominating contest. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson told reporters the session he plans to convene May 26 could include the proposal to move up the presidential primary from May to March. Legislative leaders...

Federal funding for Arkansas highways to end May 31LITTLE ROCK (AP) — The director of the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department says federal funding for the state's highway projects will end May 31. AHTD Director Scott Bennett said Tuesday that he's received a letter from U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx that says the Federal Highway Administration will not be able to make payments of federal-aid funds to the states. Bennett said highway officials were expecting the news ...

8-year-old Lynn girl dies, was found in bathtubLYNN (AP) — The Lawrence County Sheriff's Office stated an 8-year-old girl has died after being found unresponsive in a bathtub. Deputies were called to a home near Lynn on Monday night after a possible drowning was reported. The sheriff's department said a parent had found the girl in a bathtub. The child was flown to a hospital in Batesville where she later died.

Little Rock college planning $2.4M in cuts as revenue dropsLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A central Arkansas university plans to make more than $2 million in cuts to help save money following declining student enrollment and drops in revenue. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/1zWcYEk ) reports most of the $2.4 million in cuts at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock are set to take effect July 1. The cuts also are tied to a restructuring effort the school began in 2013. The school's slow decl...

Tornadoes kill at least 5 in Texas and ArkansasLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Emergency responders searched through splintered wreckage Monday after a line of tornadoes battered several small communities in Texas and Arkansas, killing at least five people, including a young couple who died trying to shield their daughter from the storm. Three people were still missing in a rural East Texas town. Scores of others were hurt, some critically. The couple, both in their late 20s, died when a twister ...